Chapter 69 - Barracks

*SLASH!*

*SPLURT!*

Blood splurted following the sound of a slice made by some unknown form of clawed weapon. A dark shadow suddenly appeared, seemingly materializing from thin air.

The scene that greeted the first, puffing guard was something he couldn't process. What he had seen just didn't make sense at all, his mind just couldn't accept the information his eyes were sending forth.

The shadow looked to be a young kid, barely looking 10 or maybe 12 years of age. Yet, his strange-looking eyes glimmered with a sinister crimson hue, and instead of the expected supple, youthful hands, he had strange monstrous claws protruding from the tip of the dark-toned hardened skin of his fingers. He looked coldly at the guard facing with his back against him, ignoring the fact that he, the other one could clearly see what he was doing.

His eyes went wide with shock, and though it instantly alerted his friend that something must be amiss, it was already too late. Before his receptors could register the new stimulation, its path was cut apart as a set of dark claws separated the shocked-looking head from the rest of the body.

Like a fountain, blood gushed out, splurted over his just as shocked friend's face, ruining the taste of the cigarette and causing the last bits of its stump to fall out of its hold, his lips and fall down to the ground, just beside the now lump headless corpse.

"W-w-w…" He stuttered, the distress froze his brain, sending his thoughts into shambles. He was unable to cry, or call for help, which was somewhat uncharacteristic of a trained soldier. Yet, the impossible, but still, horrifying scenery had made him almost fall back into a sort of PTSD, a mental illness he was secretly still battling with.

*SLASH!*

*SPLURT!*

Before his brain could catch up with the sudden sequence of events, the same black claws sliced the air once again, blurring through his vision for a brief section of a second.

His breathing instantly turned ragged, forced at a single moment, his mind once again grew confused. Before he could realize it, his head rolled on the floor, his consciousness faded to darkness… By the time his body fall down on the ground, joining the other headless carcass, he was long gone.

Reaching out with both of his hands, palms facing their bodies, Aziel watched silently as both bodies rapidly liquified into floating balls of mass and essence and merged with his body.

He sighed, as he opened his eyes a few seconds later.

"Nothing useful, and barely any essence to gain. These normal humans have barely any use besides being some average batteries. Barely enough to refill the lost energy." He clicked his tongue muttering to himself with dissatisfaction.

"Closing his eyes once again, it flickered for a few seconds before he opened them again and clicked his tongue.

"Not even anything useful in their memories. Just the same boring garbage…" He sighed complaining into the air.

"Anyway… At least the obstruction is now gone, time for the second dish…" He said, as a sinister smirk once again made its appearance. He turned his head towards the building, focusing on the life force he could feel from somewhere at the back.

"From what I could see from the gained memories, this so-called Captain Liam Briggs is probably lazing around in his office. Watching some show, not bothered by anything." Aziel muttered.

From the growing collection of memories he gained from the many absorbed individuals, the strange devices of this modern world, the technology felt more and more familiar to him. Though he still found it quite strange that they achieved similar, if not even better results and advancement in science as the most studious gnomes, or the nerdiest dwarves or humans of Nova without the use an inch of [Mana] or [Aether].

Purely by relying on their wits, and logical thinking they made some incredible leaps over the several thousand years of their history. From the hairy, ugly monkeys of Dinah's tribe to flying the air using metal, heavy frame vehicles... 'Airplanes'...

"If nothing else, they are at least interesting..." Aziel smirked, shaking his head to clear it from the distracting thoughts.

Though he complained before, it wasn't entirely true he had gained nothing useful from the two guards. He now had a layout of the barracks and the exact location of the captain mapped out in his head.

With a confident look on his devilish, smirking face, the young child, Aziel walked towards the door and pushed down on the handle.

Carefully he pulled on the door, opening it whilst revolving his energy at maximum, and kept a tight guard, scanning his surroundings.

Stepping inside the building Aziel entered in a long, but somewhat tight hallway. It was dark, the lights were turned off, which did not make any problem for Aziel. Absorbing countless species in the primordial era, his vision during the night was just as good and sharp as during the day.

[Essence Restitute] instantly kicked it, registering the instinctual need for the stored ability. Aziel's eyes lit up, glimmering with a bright cat-like yellowish glow as the foreboding darkness swiftly receded.

He could now clearly make out the long hallway, and the several doors he could match with the gained memories.

To his left, he would enter what was called the 'Monitoring Room', filled with dozens of monitors that showed the feeds of the numerous cameras placed around the Manor's Grounds.

The two guards puffing their smokes outsides were supposed to be staying there and keeping tight watch. Normally they shouldn't have been out both at the same time, but since there were never any intruders sighted on the premises, their awareness has turned lacking, they did not bother with the rules.

Taking one last look, he turned his attention to the right where the hall sailed all the way to the other, far end of the barrack where the storage room was found. Along the hallway several doors could be seen from both sides, each leading into either one of the facilities, the resting room for the off-shift guards, the small canteen, or the bathroom.

The very last room, however, was the Captain's Quarters, a somewhat larger, off-limit place where the Captain, Liam Briggs basically lived.

Enjoying the easy life of his assignment, that unlike the rest of the guard, was permanent, he no longer had any real worries in his life. With no intruders or issues of any sort since him starting his contract and beginning working here, he had grown quite relaxed in the last couple of months.

Too bad for him, that tonight everything would change, and unbeknownst to him, his reaper was standing just outside his very door....